Dinosaurs

Named from two Greek words meaning “terrible lizard,” dinosaurs first appeared about 220 million years ago, and then disappeared rather suddenly 63 million years ago. Dinosaurs capture our imagination in many different ways. Their tremendous size, their fearsome looks, and the mystery of their extinction are but a few of the dinosaur wonders worth pondering. [Editor’s Note: An updated version of this topic can be found here: Dinosaurs]

"To be truthful, the unfortunate fact about the popularity of dinosaurs is that the science that it is based on occasionally is obscured by the fantasy that surrounds it." From the Museum of Paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley, Dino Buzz dispels some common myths and explores dinosaur debates such as What Killed the Dinosaurs? and Hot Blooded or Cold Blooded? They also include a handful of excellent links to resources both onsite and offsite.

Who is Sue? "Sue is the largest, most complete, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex. She was discovered by fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson in 1990, in the badlands of South Dakota." Following a long custody battle, Sue was sold at Sotheby's auction house October 4, 1997. The Field Museum purchased Sue for nearly $8.4 million - the most money ever paid for a fossil. On May 17, 2000 , the museum revealed Sue. She stands thirteen feet high at her hips and is forty-two feet long from head to tail.

This British museum site is my pick of the day because of its sense of humor and variety of multimedia resources. To start with Fun n' Games, click on the funny dino picture labeled "Nimble? Nasty? Mini? Massive?" in the lower right corner. Here you'll find two dino games: What Dinosaur Are You? and Dinosaur Defender. The educational clicks are easier to find, and include the Dino Directory and the interactive T-Rex discovery activity. "Look at each of the pieces of evidence and decide whether you think T-Rex was a scavenger, predator or even both."

From "Abelisaurus" to "Zuniceratops," Dinopedia (sponsored by the Jurassic Park movie folks) includes an A-Z illustrated dinosaur glossary and a history lesson divided into five ages: Before Dinosaurs, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, After Dinosaurs. "The Earth is roughly 4.5 billion years old. How do you explain in a few paragraphs over 4 billion years of Earth's history? Well, we really can't without a very long book, so we will touch on a few highlights and skip a lot of the really technical stuff."